The Election Commission on Monday ordered the transfer of bureaucrats from the region to uphold fairness in the Lok Sabha polls. The Commission directed the removal of Home secretaries of states including Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Along with this, The EC ordered the removal of the secretary of the general administrative departments of Mizoram and Himachal Pradesh. Additionally, they also ordered the removal of director general of police in West Bengal, PTI reported.
Days after the declaration of the LS elections schedule, the chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar also ordered the removal of Brihanmumbai Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal, additional commissioners and deputy commissioners.
The EC had instructed all state governments to transfer officers connected with elections-related duties, who have served three years in the same place or are stationed in their home districts. Maharashtra had not fully complied with the given directions, especially with a few municipal commissioners and deputy municipal commissioners.
While expressing the discontent to the state chief secretary, the commission has ordered the transfer of BMC and the additional and deputy commissioners with the content to report by 6 pm on Monday.
The EC has also directed the chief secretary to transfer all the similarly placed municipal commissioners and additional or deputy municipal commissioners of other corporations in Maharashtra.
Therefore, steps are taken to maintain fairness and ensure the integrity of the electoral process, which has been emphasised by CEC Rajiv Kumar on several occasions.